CANNES 2000: The Lighter Side; Clooney, Thurman, andParty-Crashing

Glimmers of cinematic hope are starting to show as the festival heads into its final stretch, with Olivier Assayas‘ three-hour romantic drama, “Les Destinees Sentimentales” and a sensory boost from Ang Lee withhis out-of-competition martial arts epic, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” As Assayas shows a masterful hand in guiding his first costume epic with the samepenetrating understanding of human relationships brought to his other films, Lee reveals a deliciously dazzling, kinetic eye for action and adventure without sacrificing his supple ability to conjure deeper inner emotions from life’s external events. The market has been lively as well, with buzz around the Asian thriller “Tell Me Something,” described by one acquisitions exec as “a Korean ‘Seven,'” and fun hoots like “Scarlet Diva,” an erotic film directed by horrormeister Dario Argento‘s sexy daughter, Asia.

But some of the most playful moments of the festival have been coming from the directors and actors who have kept the Croisette glittering with starpower.One of the press conference highlights so far was Brian de Palma‘s grumpy exchange with the international press, especially when someone asked about his tendency to indulge in cinematic homages to other directors. “Homage